Originally Aired: April 20, 1950
Suspense #381, "Pearls Are a Nuisance," Walter Gage is enjoying a leisurely morning of doing nothing when his fiancée Ellen McIntosh calls with an urgent request. Mrs. Penruddock's pearl necklace has been stolen, and Ellen insists Walter must recover it. The twist? The pearls are fake. Mrs. Penruddock secretly sold the real pearls her husband gave her for their golden wedding anniversary and replaced them with imitations. Now she fears the thief will discover the deception and blackmail her, exposing her secret to Mr. Penruddock. Ellen is certain the culprit is their former chauffeur, Henry Eichelberger, a massive brute of a man who tried to kiss her before leaving suddenly two days earlier.
Armed with righteous indignation over the attempted kiss, Walter tracks Eichelberger to a seedy hotel above a Chinese laundry. After bribing the manager and searching the room unsuccessfully, Walter confronts the six-foot-three chauffeur and attempts to defend Ellen's honor with his fists. The encounter doesn't go quite as planned, and Walter finds himself on the floor wondering how he'll recover the stolen pearls and his dignity.
